English - aufZAQ

aufZAQ – Educational Quality and Competence in Youth Work

aufZAQ offers the certification of basic and further educations and training courses for people active in youth work and accompanying fields since 2003. So far 34 training courses have been certified.

Between 2015 and 2017 we developed the aufZAQ Competence Framework for Youth Work. It outlines how people active in youth work act competently and covers open youth work and the work of children’s and youth associations. In Austria, the aufZAQ Competence Framework is regarded as the binding standard for trainings of youth workers.

aufZAQ is funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Labor, Families and Youth, the Youth Departments of the Federal States of Austria and the Youth Work Department of the Autonomous Province of Bozen/Bolzano – South Tyrol.

The aufZAQ Competence Framework also works as a translation tool for educational offers for youth workers to the Austrian National Qualification Framework (NQF). Since 2019 aufZAQ works as a NQF-service point and advises and supports through the process of mapping non formal qualifications to the NQF.

Download the Competence Framework here: Competence Framework (pdf)

In addition the online version of the Competence Framework is available on this website in German: www.kompetenzrahmen.at

Why a certification

aufZAQ provides orientation for interested participants of training courses to choose the adequate educational offer. The certificate ensures, that participants receive a practice orientated and external quality assured training course to improve their skills and competences.

Training providers get an external quality assurance, which ensures that specified criteria are fulfilled, recognised by the federal ministry and the federal youth departments.

Employers within the youth sector have the guarantee, that graduates of certified trainings have relevant theoretical and practical skills and competences. The certificate assures high standards and offers a guarantee for the specific qualification of the employee.

How we work

aufZAQ is divided into the aufZAQ Advisory Board and the aufZAQ Office.

The Board is responsible for the final decision during the certification process and verifies the quality of submitted and certified training courses. Therefor it constantly further develops the certification program to actual conditions. The following members are part of the aufZAQ Advisory Board:

2 representatives of the Youth Departments of the Federal States of Austria (one of them acting as chairperson of the aufZAQ Advisory Board)
1 representative of the Austrian Federal Chancellery
1 representative of the Austrian National Youth Council
1 expert in the field of youth work
(up to 2 additional members can be co-opted by the advisory board)

The aufZAQ Office provides consultation and support for providers of training courses who are interested in the certification program and already certified trainings. We share the office with the Austrian National Youth Council.

Certification process

A brief overview of the process

The appliant contacts the aufZAQ Office to getter all necessary information and support.
The curriculum of the trainings course is submitted to the aufZAQ Office.
If the submission fullfills all formal criteria, an independent group of experts is assigned by the aufZAQ Advisory Board to examine the training course on the basis of the aufZAQ standards.
The appliant has the chance to add additional informations and/or amendments if the group of experts considers it necessary.
Based on the expert’s report the aufZAQ Advisory Board decides about the certification of the submitted training course.

After a trainings course is certified, we have certain continual quality assurance measures which the training providers agree to fullfill. Before and after every conducted training cycle, the number of participants and other informations about the performance of the trainings have to be send to the aufZAQ Office. Also every kind of adaption of a training course has to be reported.